Day 29 – Málaga, Spain – Andalusian Highlights

Monday, November 7, 2016
Málaga, Spain
8:00 am to 6:00 pm

The weather forecast is for a high of 69 degrees and a low of 54
Sunrise was at 7:48 am ; Sunset is at 6:15 pm
It is 173 nautical miles from the Port of Cartagena, Spain to the Port of Málaga, Spain
233 cruise ships called at the Port of Málaga in 2015, carrying a total of 419,121 passengers.

This morning the Oosterdam is in port with the Prinsendam (843 passengers), the Eurodam (2014 passengers), and the exclusive German luxury ship Amadea (604 passengers) owned by Phoenix Reisen cruise line. Total passengers in port: 5,377 plus crew. It was another day that we would have depended on the HOHO for seeing the city if we had not been worried about the port load.

We booked a tour with HAL called Andalusian Highlights from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm. Our tour bus took us once again around some of the streets in Málaga where our guide pointed out some interesting buildings. We then visited Gibralfaro Castle, an ancient 14th-century Moorish fortress, located on the summit of the mount where a Phoenician lighthouse once stood. In 1487, the castle was conquered by the Catholic kings, who then used it as a prison for the defeated Muslims. Destroyed by the French Army and then abandoned in 1812, Gibralfaro Castle has only recently been restored. The castle commands breathtaking views of the city and the bay.

Right photo shows some of the residents at Gibralfaro Castle being treated royally.

Navigating down the hill to Málaga, our bus parked so that we could walk to La Malagueta, Málaga’s bullring that first opened in 1876 and seats over 9,000. The bullfighting season in Spain is April to September when bullfights are held weekly usually on Sundays in the late afternoon or early evening. During Málaga’s festivals in March and in August (feria de Agosto), bullfights are held daily. At the La Malagueta bullring, we visited the Antonio Ordonez Bullfighting Museum (http://www.malaga.es/en/turismo/patrimonio/lis_cd-4080/heritage) dedicated to the history of this controversial sport among both Spaniards and those from outside Spain. The museum contains costumes worn by the matadors, and photographs, posters and artifacts of famous malagueqos (born and raised in Málaga) bullfighters from the 15th century onwards. The museum is named in honor of Antonio Ordóñez Araujo (1932-1998), a famous bullfighter. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) wrote The Dangerous Summer, published posthumously in 1985, documenting Ordóñez’s rivalry with another matador Luis Miguel Dominguin during the summer of 1959. Earlier, Hemmingway, an aficionado of bullfighting, wrote Death in the Afternoon published in 1932, that many consider one of the best written books about the art of bullfighting.
Interesting fact: Bullfighting isn’t considered a sport in Spain, but an art (the art of tauromachy or the art of bullfighting), and is reported in the arts and culture section of newspapers. The matador is judged on the artistic merit of his performance.

Above are two views of a model of La Malagueta.

The matadors’ costumes were very elaborate and generally seemed small. What we found interesting was the type of shoes worn by matadors. If bullfighting is considered an art in Spain, then the shoes appropriately might belong to a professional dancer.

We left the museum for our final Andalusian highlight, an opportunity to experience Flamenco Tablão. Flamenco is the traditional song and dance of the Gypsies (flamencos) of Andalucia. During the so-called Golden Age of Flamenco, between 1869-1910, flamenco music developed rapidly in music cafés called cafés cantantes, a venue with ticketed public performances. The dance is an release, a lament and a celebration all combined. It is provocative, fun and sensual — full of gestures, touches, looks, and movement that have no script. The Flamenco is a manifestation of emotions that are universal but are wrapped in a uniquely Spanish flavor.

An exciting performance of Spanish Flamenco dance showcases an art form that originated in Andalusia and is comprised of the song (el cante), the dance (el baile), the guitar (el toque), and handclapping (palmas). The male flamenco dancer is known as a bailaor. A female flamenco dancer is known as a bailaora. Among the gypsies of Andalusia it was used as an expression of poverty, oppression and personal grief. Over time, Flamenco has also become a means of expressing happiness as it incorporates elements of Spanish music in lighter forms (alegrias, bulerias, fandangos).

Peña Juan Breva, Calle Ramón Franquelo, 4, 29008 Málaga, Spain

Peña is a meeting place for musicians and in Spain is often noted as being Peña Flamenco. These are more traditional places where Flamenco is performed with less emphasis on catering to tourists. The Museum established in 1958, is dedicated to the art of Flamenco and named for Juan Breva, one of Málaga’s greatest flamenco singers.The upper floors of Peña Juan Breva house a treasure trove of flamenco memorabilia including thousands of vinyl records, 20 guitars some of them more than 200 years old, posters, traditional Flamenco dress costumes, and Flamenco-related fine art and photography. We were ushered to the cellar where we were seated around just four tables for the show. Each table had a pitcher of wine and a platter of tapas to share.

This performance was much more personal and authentic as it was held in a smaller venue and had fewer people in attendance than the Flamenco Show we saw on board the ship while the Oosterdam was docked in Cadiz, Spain. The guitar music was a highlight as well as the singing and the dancing.

Leaving the Museum, we followed our guide on a short walking tour along a maze of pedestrian streets.

We walked past the excavated ruins of a Roman Theatre that dates back to the first century. The Theatre was not discovered until the mid- 20th century. The Phoenicians from Tyre founded the city of Málaga as Malaka about 770 BC. After a period of Carthaginian rule, Malaka became part of the Roman Empire. A Roman Theatre was built at this time during the age of Augustus and remained in use until the third century. Beginning with the arrival of the Arabs it served as a source of stone for the new structures built by the Muslim conquerors. Numerous column shafts and capitals that were taken from the theatre can be seen in the Alcazaba complex today. The theatre was discovered in 1951, and was considered so important that an existing building was relocated so that archaeologists could excavate. While excavations continue, almost all the elements of the theatre have been uncovered.

We had a late lunch after we returned to the ship. A half moon appeared in the sky as we waited for sail away on our balcony. A colony of seagulls seemed to be waiting for sail away as well.

After dinner, we went to a brand new show with a brand new cast of singers and dancers. Off The Charts is a review of the hits from Billboard’s lists from Elvis to Beyoncé. It had great energy and vibe and fantastic sets. No one was thinking about falling asleep during this show. Our last singers and dancers seemed more suited to being on a Lawrence Welk show, so this was a wonderful change.